


Battle of the Exes / The Honeymoon Log

by BlackthornPyre4UrEnemies



Series: The Elsamaren Logs! [8]
Category: Frozen (Disney Movies), Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, F/F, Fluff, Friendship, Light Angst, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 06:54:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29946153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackthornPyre4UrEnemies/pseuds/BlackthornPyre4UrEnemies
Summary: Raya and Namaari are heirs to the two largest instant ramen mega-corporations in Kumandra. If you’re familiar with South East Asian instant ramen brands, think Indomie versus MAMA. With a pinch of Crazy Rich Asians.They are also exes, forced to spend a week together at a mandatory corporate retreat.Among the guests at the resort are Elsa and Honeymaren, and all they want is a peaceful honeymoon in Kumandra. What could possibly go wrong?Well, everything, considering Raya is Maren’s ex.Kinda cracky. Minimal angst. Keeping it light and fun. Works as a standalone for new readers, but also serves as “The Honeymoon Log” in the Elsamaren Logs series. May spinoff further Raya/Namaari fics in the future, if the AU is inspiring enough. There will NOT be any cross-shipping/poly! It will be Ramaari and Elsamaren from start to end.
Relationships: Elsa/Honeymaren (Disney), Namaari/Raya (Disney)
Series: The Elsamaren Logs! [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1699342
Comments: 46
Kudos: 90





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ALRIGHT GANG, THE RAYA/NAMAARI BRAINROT IS DEEP AND I JUST CAN'T SHAKE IT!!  
> For AGES I have been trying to inject plot into the long-delayed Honeymoon Logs of my Elsamaren modern AU, but beyond smutty chapter after smutty chapter, I couldn't think of a plot. It WAS planned though, for them to take their honeymoon in South East Asia.  
> Imagine my delight when I see that Raya and the Last Dragon presents us with ANOTHER sapphic ship. THANK YOU DISNEY!!!
> 
> For new readers: No prior knowledge of the Elsamaren Logs is needed, but knowledge of Frozen 1 and 2 would be good. This of course, would reference the rest of the logs, but I like to think it wouldn't change the experience of reading the logs in the future, if you feel so inclined to read the rest of it after this fic.
> 
> To my elsamaren buddies: Thank you for reading this new fic! CONTAINS MAJOR RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON SPOILERS. Please watch before reading.
> 
> A final note on the smut: There is strong suggestion in the movie that Raya and Namaari are above eighteen. I shall state here that ALL four main characters in this fic are above eighteen. 26-27, in fact. Having said that, currently planned smut only involves Elsamaren. Should this change, I will update everything to state otherwise.

“Ba, seriously? You must be joking. Really, you must.”

“I am literally turning into the resort as we speak. This is as serious as it gets.”

Raya turned in the passenger seat to face her dad, grabbing his elbow to try and plead with him, “We don’t have to do this! We don’t even have to see _her._ I have a lawyer who can handle this! Sisu is _the best_ _negotiator._ I brought her in to save everything! _”_

“Sisu suggested this corporate retreat.”

“WHAT?”

“She even suggested you bring a gift,” Benja popped open the glove compartment and fished out a small, wrapped parcel.

Raya rolled her eyes. It was just like Sisu to think something like this would work.

“Okay,” Raya was forced to admit, “Maybe Sisu isn’t like _the best_.”

Benja chuckled.

“Raya, the Fangs have whatever’s left of the company. A company our ancestors have built from the ground up, nurtured and protected, for _generations_. It will serve you well to be civil.”

“Civil?! Ba, she took- she _stole_ from us. That backstabbing bintur-”

“Raya,” Benja warned, which shut Raya up, “That is not how we talk about a potential business associate. And _friend._ ”

“Friend? Pfft.”

Raya scoffed, crossing her arms.

Benja stared quizzically at her, “What happened between the two of you at university anyway? You two used to be best friends.”

Raya turned to look out of the window to hide her blush. Her father couldn’t possibly have guessed, could he? The elders would freak, if they ever found out that Raya broke the company because she was _dating_ the enemy.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Raya muttered.

“It’s been six years. Enough time to forgive and forget!”

“For real, Ba?” Raya sputtered, eyes popping with outrage and incredulity, “Namaari stole the secret recipe from me! She used me! And then you had to sell the company! To them!”

“I made that decision myself. Without sole distribution of the _Dragon Gem_ flavour of cup noodles, we had nothing. Over-reliance on one product was our downfall. Not Fang Inc.’s interference.”

Raya was completely lost for words, unable to comprehend her father’s incredible capacity for kindness. It seemed almost naïve to her. But he had been the generation that had taken the company global; it was Raya that undid it all.

She vowed she was _never_ going to be charmed by Namaari ever again.

But… she should probably do as she’s told for this one. She’d worked too hard to earn this shot of getting her family’s company back again.

“Speaking of over-reliance on one product, you should take this opportunity to talk to Namaari about diversifying,” Benja continued to advise, “You can’t possibly think we can run a company on just your spicy noodles. The hype will die down eventually.”

“ _Fire_ noodles, Ba. _Dragon’s Breath Fire Noodles._ It’s all in the branding.”

Raya shot finger guns at her dad. She was kinda proud of that name actually. And how the noodles had become an internet sensation. Youtubers all over the world were filming themselves shoving mouthfuls of the noodles at a time into their mouths and suffering the inevitable consequences on screen. It was the fastest selling instant ramen of the moment. If Namaari thought she was going to be able to trade the patent for the noodles in exchange for Raya’s company back- well, Namaari would be in for a rude shock…. Wait, why _was_ Namaari agreeing to this retreat anyway?

“What makes you think she’ll show up?” Raya asked, “What does she stand to gain?”

“You’ve been away from home for too long, Dewdrop,” Benja said with a sad smile, “If you haven’t noticed, Fang Inc. isn’t doing that well. The market is changing. They need to change too. And you seem to understand how. Like you said, it’s all in the branding.”

“Wait, she's here to _learn_ from me?” Raya rolled her eyes, “Ha! Fat hope. More like _steal_ from me.”

They’ve reached the driveway of the resort by now. A doorman came to open Raya’s door, while a bellboy began to unload Raya’s luggage from the trunk. There was no turning back now. Her last chance of actually enjoying this so-called ‘retreat’ was if Namaari stood her up.

Benja pushed the gift into Raya’s hands.

“Raya. If you put aside your old prejudice, you’ll realise that you’ve assumed things about the Fangs, just like they have assumed things about us. Take a step back and you’ll see that we probably have more in common than you think. And I’ve been watching Namaari in the six years since you’ve been away. She’s done some good things for the community with her company. Before you buy the company back and sever all ties with the Fangs, just talk to Namaari. I believe you can stand to learn something from her too.”

He closed Raya’s fingers around the parcel meant for Namaari.

“Someone has to take the first step.”

Raya sighed. Her father could be a very convincing motivational speaker. Perhaps that was why he made such an excellent CEO.

“Fine, Ba. I’ll give this ‘retreat’ a shot. But don’t expect me to _trust_ that bintu-”

Benja raised a stern eyebrow. Raya swallowed the swear word.

“Don’t expect me to trust Namaari right away.”

Benja gave Raya a proud smile.

“All I ask is that you try. I love you, Dewdrop.”

Raya hugged her Ba goodbye and alighted. She stared at the entrance to the resort and gulped, clutching the gift nervously.

This was going to be a long week. If Namaari even showed up, that is.

* * *

Kumandra was very hot.

The cold never bothered Elsa, but the heat certainly did. The moment they stepped into the resort lobby, Elsa headed straight for the nearest lounge chair and plopped down in it, sighing as she fanned herself with the resort brochure, eyeing the ceiling fan with suspicion, questioning its efficacy.

“Umm…babe? Oof! A little help?” Maren grumbled, as the Tuk Tuk driver unloaded the last of their luggages on Maren.

Why Elsa had to bring so many outfits was beyond Maren, especially if Elsa was complaining about the heat.

Maren hoisted a few suitcases over her back and dragged the rest of their luggage after her fiancée.

Scratch that, her _wife._ Maren softened at that thought, smiling to herself as she resigned to picking up after Elsa for the rest of her life.

“ _Why_ South East Asia, Maren? We’re _Nordics._ Ice is our life. I’m practically melting over here.”

“Because!”

Maren dropped their bags to the ground with an unceremonious clatter as she reached over to snatch the brochure out of Elsa’s hand.

“White sand tropical beaches!” She jabbed at a picture of Kumandra’s pristine seaside, “Crystal clear oceans!”

She flipped through the pages, pointing at all the attractions inside.

“LOOK AT ALL THAT FOOD, ELSA!”

She shoved the pamphlet under Elsa’s nose.

Elsa wasn’t looking at the brochure. Instead, she was studying Maren, a small smile forming on her face. It made her giddy, to see Maren this happy.

Growing up, the complicated political situation in Northuldra (for which Arendelle had largely been responsible) had made it difficult for Maren to travel. Elsa was only able to do so because of the diplomatic allowances granted exclusively to the ex-royal family of Arendelle. Elsa realised how unfairly privileged she was and resolved to keep her attitude in check and make sure that Maren had the best honeymoon ever.

She cupped Maren’s face in her hands, leaning in to deliver a kiss, crushing the brochure in between them.

“Thank you for planning all of this,” Elsa said, when they broke apart, “I know it’s going to be great.”

Maren blushed, rubbing the back of her neck.

“It was nothing… especially compared to what you did for the wedding…”

But Elsa could tell Maren appreciated the compliment. She had seen firsthand how much effort Maren put into making this trip a success.

Maren was fidgeting with her typed itinerary, filed neatly into a clear plastic folder with meticulously labelled post-its, before saying shyly, “I know you wanted some time for rest and relaxation, and I dunno if I included enough of it for you. There were a lot of things that were too interesting to leave out… so if you feel exhausted or anything, I don’t want you to keep it to yourself-”

“Maren,” Elsa interrupted, fishing the file out of Maren’s hand to leaf through it, “I _want_ to be here. I’m sorry I gave you the impression that a honeymoon was the last thing I wanted. Would you please trust me when I say I am really looking forward to everything you’ve planned?”

Something in the itinerary caught her eye, “You got the Honeymoon Suite?” Elsa blurted out, “Just think of the amenities! I am sooo going to take a long bath later!”

She glanced at the rest of their schedule for today, before laughing nervously at Maren, “I mean, only after the umm…” she checked the sheet of paper again, “the ‘ _Beginner’s Silat – Traditional Martial Arts for the Restless Soul’_ this afternoon…”

Elsa’s smile was a little strenuous now, “Martial Arts. On our honeymoon. Really, Maren?”

Maren chuckled, nodding, “What? It’d be fun!”

“You just want to kick my ass in a class for once,” Elsa rolled her eyes.

“Well, maybe I do,” Maren leaned over Elsa’s lounge chair, resting an arm on the headrest so she could lean down and whisper in Elsa’s ear.

Elsa gulped as she watched Maren’s bicep strain with the effort of holding herself up.

“Indulge me,” Maren voice dropped several registers, “And maybe I’ll make it worth your while tonight.”

This honeymoon was already looking to be Elsa’s best vacation.

“W-well then, _En garde_ ,” Elsa replied shakily, cheeks pink, swishing her hands in front of her in a karate-chop motion, “as the French would say.”

Maren laughed, completely smitten by a flustered Elsa, “So many incorrect things I wanna point out but shan’t. You are so going to flunk this class.”

She gave Elsa a kiss on the cheek, before straightening up, “Alright, I’m gonna check us in, and then the honeymoon can begin.”

* * *

Unfortunately for Raya, Namaari did show up. And dammit, the last six years had been good to her.

She was wearing a sleeveless top, tucked loosely into a pair of skinny jeans, finished with a pair of aviator sunglasses and ankle length combat boots. The whole outfit did nothing to hide the fact that Namaari must have spent a better part of the past half a decade in the gym.

Not to mention, she still had the same haircut that she sported since they were in university.

Raya inwardly groaned, maybe she should have styled her hair more or something, but it was too late. She fixed on her most shit-eating grin.

“Hey there, Princess Undercut.”

Namaari didn’t flinch at the old nickname, but instead smirked, saying, “ _Queen_ Undercut to you, if you’re sticking to the royal metaphors.”

Namaari pulled out a completely unnecessary name card for Raya, and Raya could see the word ‘CEO’ printed in red under her name.

Right. She wasn’t just the heir now. Namaari was the boss.

“Ugh,” Raya snatched the card and made a big show of dropping it into the nearest bin.

“At least recycle. All of Fang Inc.’s packaging is 100% recycled and recyclable these days. Even the name cards.”

“Don’t want to contaminate the paper bin.”

“Still as snarky, I see. Culinary school didn’t burn that out of you?”

“At least I’ve put in the hours. Have you even done an honest day’s work in your life, Princess?”

Namaari didn’t take that bait, merely continuing to study Raya, although her smirk softened. The sunglasses made it impossible to read her eyes though.

“It’s nice to see you again, Raya.”

Raya scoffed.

“Maybe in different circumstances I would say the same. But I rather see Ba’s company again than see you.”

“Raya, if you would just let me explain-”

“Let’s set some ground rules so we can keep this week as painless as possible, shall we?” Raya interrupted.

She didn’t want to hear the new excuses Namaari must have cooked up in their years apart.

Raya dropped her bag into a nearby chair and crossed her arms.

“We both state now what we want to achieve at the end of this week. And then we don’t reference it ever again for the rest our time here. This is a freaking five-star resort and I’ve had a long few months, I could use a proper break. I’m gonna make full use of my time here, but not the way my Ba intended. Meaning, I wanna spend as much time away from you.”

Namaari nodded.

“Feeling’s mutual, Dep la.”

Raya flinched at hearing their old term of endearment used so sarcastically and casually by Namaari, but shoved away her hurt.

“However,” Namaari continued, “your Ba may have booked the resort, but my mother planned the itinerary. And she is not so lenient. You’re going to have to show up for some of these team-building activities the resort offers.”

Namaari offered Raya what appeared to be a very wordy schedule. Raya groaned.

“Sounds like your problem. Deal with your mother yourself.”

“If you don’t show up she’s gonna tell your dad.”

“What are we, twelve?!” Raya complained, snatching the schedule up from Namaari grudgingly.

Her heart sank as she scanned the timetable. There was hardly any time for herself! Virana was one tough lady to get pass.

“One other thing,” Namaari said, “We state our terms now. But the other only decides to agree or disagree to them after the week is over.”

Raya snorted.

“You think my answer’s going to change?”

“It is in your favour to change your mind.”

“We’ll see about that. What are your terms? Why are you here? You know mine. I want full control and ownership of my family’s company.”

Namaari didn’t look surprised. Raya had made no secret about her intentions for the past six years, after all. That was a good sign to Raya, it meant Namaari was open to the idea, since she still bothered to meet Raya today despite knowing.

But then, Namaari said-

“And I am willing to offer you that-”

“Deal.”

“Raya.”

“Ugh,” Raya knew it was not going to be so easy, “What? What is the fine print? The Fire Noodle patent? Wrong answer. I know you like to convince yourself that Fang had some claim over the Dragon Gem Cup Noodles given its history, but you have absolutely _no_ claim to this one! Try again.”

“When you return to the helm of the Hati Corporation, I want to merge our companies.”

Raya couldn’t believe Namaari’s gall.

“So you want me to _work_ for you? What the fuck, Namaari, how dare you!”

“Raya, your company wouldn’t be under us. We would form a new one. And we would _both_ lead.”

Raya nearly gagged at the idea.

“And _why_ the hell would I do that? What kind of trouble is Fang trying to get out of by merging with us? Namaari, did you embezzle some shit? Or is it laundering? Corruption?”

Raya was almost gleeful at the thought of Namaari in deep trouble with the law. That binturi would deserve it.

“Everything is above board. In fact, Benja and my mother are open to the merger proposal.”

Raya’s jaw dropped stupidly. She closed it again.

“Wait. Wait. You went to my father _already?_ Ohhhh, Namaari, that is _low._ Even for you.”

“Benja came to us.”

Raya sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. _Of course_ , this was her Ba’s idea. He could never resist a peaceful resolution, no matter how baseless the foundation of trust any such resolution would have been built upon.

“Look, Raya,” Namaari’s tone softened to one that almost sounded hopeful, “You must have seen the reports by now, Fang Inc. needs to make big changes if we are to survive. And with your brand presence online you could really bring something new to the company. In exchange, Fang has expanded beyond the instant ramen market. We are in sauces, condiments, _rempahs_. With merger, you could take them under Hati Corp and _rebrand_ them.”

Raya stepped around Namaari to look behind her.

“Uh… what are you doing?” Namaari spun round to meet her.

“Trying to see if my father is puppeteering you with _wayang kulit_ sticks. Those are _so_ his words, not yours.”

Raya narrowed her eyes, “What is Fang’s true intention, _really_?”

“Nothing more! Trust me.”

Namaari seemed earnest. But Raya had seen this look before.

“ _Trust?_ ” she spat, “That’s rich.”

Namaari had the sense to look a tad guilty.

Raya decided to ease up on the accusations. She walked back to her spot and picked up her bag, “I dunno what _jamu_ my Ba has been feeding the Fangs to make you think any of this would work, but the answer is-”

“Nah ah ah!” Namaari cut in, “After one week.”

A bit of Namaari’s signature smirk was back. Raya rolled her eyes.

“Whatever,” Raya said in reply, starting to walk away, “I’ll go get our room keys. I only have one hour left away from you until we have to be at…”

Raya checked the schedule, “… _Beginner’s Silat_? For heaven’s sake, this is ridiculous! Namaari, we competed in silat at university!”

“What, feeling threatened?” Namaari taunted, “Afraid you’ve lost touch after six years in Scandinavia?”

“Oh I’m sure I’ll fit in more than you. You know what this class is going to be, right? A bunch of white tourists learning breathing exercises meant for five-year-old recruits. Why the hell did your mum sign us up?”

“It’s for the _restless soul_ ,” Namaari’s smugness was insufferable, “You certainly need it.”

“Oh, go to hell.”

Raya stormed off.

* * *

“I see you’ve booked the Honeymoon Suite,” the receptionist’s smile grew wider, “Congratulations, Mrs Nattura.”

“Oh uh, no. It’s Mrs Arendelle actually,” Maren blurted out, “Elsa is Mrs Nattura.”

The receptionists’ eyes widened.

“Princess Elsa of Arendelle is here?”

 _Dammit._ Elsa had wanted to keep a low profile. Maren was careless, in her eagerness to be called Mrs Arendelle. She had spent months calling herself that in her head, after all.

“Technically not a princess anymore. Don’t know if you’ve heard the news on this side of the world, but she hasn’t been one for years, actually,” Maren pointed out.

“We still call her that here! Man, when they said she got married to a woman, I didn’t know it was to you! And what a wedding! Shame about the protests, though. But really, Elsa’s here?”

The receptionist, who looked about eighteen, was buzzing with excitement by now. Maren groaned. Elsa was going to hate this.

“Look,” Maren tried her best to diplomatically nudge the young girl back into professionalism, “It’s kind of our honeymoon? So I would appreciate if you could keep her presence in the resort, you know, under wraps.”

The receptionist blushed a deep red.

“Of course, of course! I’m so sorry. Right, let me get the room keys sorted for you. And I’ll throw in a box of chocolates. On the house. Sorry for making things weird-”

Maren wanted to say that that wasn’t necessary, but a stern man in a suit appeared beside the receptionist.

“You asked to see the manager?” he asked Maren, “I’m sorry. She’s new here.”

Panic set into the receptionist’s face, “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean-”

“No,” Maren glanced at the receptionist’s badge, “Hnin is great. I didn’t ask to see the manager.”

Hnin smiled gratefully at Maren.

“I did,” another voice called from beside Maren.

Maren stiffened, that voice sounding extremely familiar.

“There seems to be a mistake on my booking,” the new person said to the manager, “the keys are to the same room. But I should be getting two separate rooms.”

“Raya?” Maren cut in, finally putting a name to that voice, “Raya Hati?”

It had been nearly five years since she heard that voice, and she wished she hadn’t just heard it.

The woman froze, back rigid, clearly registering Maren’s voice too. Slowly, as though she was dreading every moment that was coming after, she turned to face Maren.

“Honeymaren Nattura.”

A very long, painful beat of silence followed. Hnin and the resort manager exchanged an awkward glance as they watched the pair.

Raya laughed nervously and attempted a joke, “You didn’t come to Kumandra to find me, did you?”

Maren laughed back, the sound of it equally nervous and shrill, “Coincidence, believe me.”

She pointed to her ring finger, on which both the engagement ring from Nokk and Co. and the wedding ring sat, “Honeymoon.”

Raya sobered at that, giving Maren a dignified nod, “Right. I read about the wedding. Yikes. Sorry.”

A flash of panic crossed Raya’s face at her faux pas, “I mean sorry about the homophobic protestors that ruined the ceremony! I mean- what I- What I wanted to say, was… I mean, congratulations. On getting married.”

Maren smiled, “Thanks. It’s fine, we had a private ceremony after.”

“We know,” Hnin chimed in, “Elsa’s sister released a statement to the press the next day,” her voice lowered conspiratorially as she leaned towards Raya, “till date no one knows where the wedding took place. Some say, it’s in a forest in Northuldra historically believed to be enchanted. The media’s been trying to get a photograph of that day for _weeks._ ”

“ _Ahem_ ,” the manager cleared his throat at Hnin, who backed off, looking guilty again.

Raya smiled sheepishly at Maren, “I read about the secret ceremony too. Sounds perfect.”

Maren arched an eyebrow at Raya, her smile slightly teasing. Raya flustered.

“It’s not like I google you or anything! Your wife’s famous. Kinda hard to avoid news of your dating life for the past couple of years.”

Maren laughed, conceding that point.

“I’m happy for you, really,” Raya insisted.

“Thank you.”

Another long silence passed.

“So, good luck on your honeymoon,” Raya began, before panicking again, “I mean! Damn. I’m an idiot. I mean, _have fun_. On your honeymoon. You know what, I guess I should… I’m just gonna go back to…”

Raya let her words trail off, pointing instead at the manager.

Maren nodded, before turning back to Hnin, who was still looking between Raya and Maren, eyes wide, as though she had just witnessed the juiciest gossip ever.

“Hnin,” Maren nudged gently, “keycards?”

Maren wanted to get the hell away from the reception desk as soon as possible.

“Right! Right!”

Hnin began a flurry of typing at her keyboard.

“The reservation is right, Miss Hati,” the manager spoke to Raya, “it’s two rooms. In one suite. Mr Hati booked the Presidential Suite, in fact.”

 _Woah._ Maren remembered that Raya was loaded, but with the family wealth came a messy world of lies and betrayals that Raya didn’t like to talk about. But Raya was really humble too, and she had lived off her meagre trainee chef allowance the whole time that she was dating Maren.

“You. GOT. To. Be. Kidding. Me,” Raya spat out, “Ba!”

The manager looked taken aback at being addressed as her dad, but Raya was no longer addressing him, digging through her bag.

She pulled out her credit card, and offered it to the manager, pleading, “Could you change it to two separate rooms? I’ll pay whatever.”

Maren couldn’t help herself, “Wait, why do you want to change out of the _Presidential_ Suite?! I’m sure your father would prefer the amenities there if he’s the one that booked it.”

“I’m not staying with my dad!” Raya rounded on Maren, “Namaari and I will be at each other’s throats by the end of the week in that suite!”

Namaari. Why did that name sound so familiar? _Spirits._

“Namaari?” Maren gasped, starting to grin, unable to stop the sense of _schadenfreude_ at her ex-girlfriend’s misfortune, “You’re spending the week with Namaari? _The_ Namaari?”

 _The Namaari that broke our relationship because you were so hung up on her?_ Maren kept that bit to herself.

“Oh, this is going to be good,” Maren accidentally observed out loud.

Raya’s glare could cut ice. It rivalled Elsa’s. Maren gulped, “Sorry.”

“I’m sorry, Miss Hati,” the manager intervened once more, looking like he too wished he was anywhere else but here, “the resort’s fully booked.”

“We could swap,” Maren taunted, feeling bold, “You want the Honeymoon Suite?”

Another death glare.

Maren swivelled her head back to Hnin, biting back a smile like a schoolgirl reprimanded.

“All right, here are your keycards,” Hnin was _finally_ done, and she dropped her voice to a stage whisper, as though she didn’t want anyone to hear Maren’s new famous last name, “Mrs Arendelle.”

“And your reservations come with two tickets to today’s Silat class.”

Hnin and the manager both said that at the same time.

Maren and Raya froze. They looked at each other once more.

Raya sighed, resigned to what was likely the worst week ever, with two of her exes under one roof.

“I guess I’ll see you later then?”

Maren felt a mixture of dread and sympathy, both for Raya and for her. After all, this was supposed to be her honeymoon.

“Yeah. I guess. See you there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tuk Tuk: A tricycle/motorbike/rickshaw hybrid commonly found in Thailand. Inspiration for the character's Tuktuk's name too!  
> Silat: A form of martial arts practised by SEAsians, but also predominantly the malays/indonesians. Also, the main inspiration for Raya's fighting style in the canon.  
> Rempah: A paste mix of herbs and spices used to make saucy SEAsian dishes  
> Wayang Kulit: Javanese shadow puppets.  
> Jamu: Indonesian traditional medicine.  
> Fang (Namaari's last name): It's actually a real surname, common among Malaysian/Singaporean chinese.  
> Hati (Raya's last name): Malay for "Heart"  
> If anyone feels that the SEA references have been handled incorrectly, please let me know. I am still researching and learning and doing my best to reference them with respect.
> 
> Cheers!  
> Blackthorn


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I have never gone for a Beginner's Silat class, so description of one is based on my imagination.

“So,” Elsa looked at her watch, “Are we going to the class now, or what? We’re already late.”

Elsa was dressed in the first of five gym outfits she had packed. She knew her new wife well. If Maren was planning the trip, she was going to need more than one day’s worth of exercise gear.

But Maren hadn’t changed, still in her sweater and joggers that was suited for the Arendelle winter and the long-distance flight they took to get here. Yet, she was pacing up and down their room, her luggage still shut.

Elsa watched closely from her position, perched on the edge of their bed, waiting for Maren to get changed.

“Maybe we should skip it,” Maren suddenly said.

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” Maren plastered on a false smile, “This suite’s pretty great, don’t you think? Should we really be spending our time _outside_ of it?”

Elsa’s eyes followed Maren’s relentless pacing, “You would be more convincing if you didn’t look like all you want to do is bolt out of this room.”

“Actually, that’s good. Let’s get out of here. Like, out of the resort. Should we go to the floating market?”

“Don’t you already have that planned? For the 14th, and the water taxi will pick us up at 11am.”

“Wow. You really studied that itinerary, huh.”

“What do you expect? It’s me. I read everything.”

Maren stopped pacing, turning to face Elsa properly. Her eyes darkened as she said, “You know, that’s really hot.”

“It really isn’t,” Elsa deadpanned, “You already know I’m a nerd.”

“Yeah,” Maren advanced towards Elsa, “A _beautiful, sexy,_ nerd. And I married that nerd.”

She nudged Elsa backwards, causing Elsa to flop onto the bed on her back.

“Ma-Maren” Elsa breathed.

“So,” Maren whispered in a deep, sultry, tone, “What do you say?”

She began to kiss down Elsa’s neck.

“Shall we stay in? Start this honeymoon right?”

Maren was doing that thing at Elsa’s collar bone that always made it hard for Elsa to say no.

“Maren…” Elsa repeated, sliding a hand under Maren’s sweater.

Maren moaned at the contact of Elsa’s fingers on her bare skin, “How the hell is your hand this cold still? We’re in the tropics.”

But it only egged Maren on, as she pushed Elsa deeper into the mattress.

Elsa slid her hand further up Maren’s torso, landing at her chest. She gave Maren a gentle push.

Maren pulled back, looking down at Elsa quizzically.

“Anything wrong?”

“I was about to ask you that,” Elsa replied, sitting up.

Maren backed away to give Elsa space, settling to sit down on the edge of the bed beside her.

“I thought what you wanted for your honeymoon was to just stay in and have sex all day,” Maren said, avoiding Elsa’s question.

Elsa laughed, eyeing Maren with a hungry look, “Well, duh. Have you seen you?”

But then Elsa placed a hand on Maren’s thigh, “But you don’t want that. You’ve typed out eleven pages of activities that proves that. So what’s up, really?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Honey, we’ve gone through our entire relationship without lying to each other. Even through a convoluted year-long engagement where we spent _months_ keeping our own secrets. But at the end of the day, we were still always honest with each other. So are you really going to start our marriage with a lie?”

“Ugh, fine.”

Maren plopped down on the bed, covering her face with her hands to hide her embarrassment.

“My ex is here,” she said into her hands.

“Who? John? Or Roan?”

“Nope. Both, even together, would have been easier to face.”

Elsa frowned. She knew all of Maren’s past relationships, and she couldn’t think of any other one serious enough to cause Maren so much anguish.

“Raya,” Maren admitted, “You know, the-”

“The chef. The one you dated when you were still in the police academy. Came to Arendelle for culinary school. Made great savoury dishes but terrible at desserts. You guys met after she sold you the worst jackfruit jerky you ever tasted.”

“That’s the one.”

“Well? What’s the big deal? It was only a summer fling. And she’s Kumandran, isn’t she? Is it that big of a shock to run into her here?”

“What is a local even doing here!” Maren cried out, “Do _you_ stay in hotels in Arendelle?”

“Maybe she’s got a business conference. She is, after all, the creator of the Dragon Breath Fire Noodles. They’re really big online.”

Maren lifted a hand to peek up at Elsa, “Wait, what?”

Elsa had a tendency to sneak up on Maren with really up-to-date knowledge of Maren’s exes.

“I didn’t even know that!” Maren admitted.

Elsa blushed, avoiding eye contact with Maren, “What? Sometimes you’re bored at work, Google’s open on your computer, and curiosity strikes. Maren, you married my neuroticism. It’s too late to question it.”

Maren groaned, “Ugh, just what I need. Her rubbing her brilliant success in my face.”

“That’s horribly bitter, Maren,” Elsa chided, “It’s not a good look on you. What exactly happened between you two? I thought you said it was just a fling?”

Maren had said Elsa was her first serious, long-term girlfriend. It shouldn’t matter to Elsa who Maren dated in the past, but Elsa kinda liked that Maren was new to some aspects of being in a relationship when they first got together. With how new Elsa was to dating in general, that knowledge had helped to even out some of the imbalance in their dynamic and eased some of the insecurity Elsa had felt at the beginning about her lack of experience.

“Yeah it was,” Maren replied, “But more importantly, she was _the_ rebound fling. She was the first person I dated after John.”

“Oh.”

Maren had been deeply in love with John, her university boyfriend. Even after everything Maren had shared with her, Elsa didn’t think she could truly imagine how heartbroken Maren must have been at that time.

“So yeah,” Maren continued, “We were horrible to each other. Both using the other to forget our own pain. By the end, we couldn’t finish a conversation without screaming at each other and I had to leave to live with Ryder. Everything was fair game in our fights. She said I was too clueless to be a detective so I said she had no tastebuds to be a chef. Obviously she’s going to be all smug now about her success.”

“Woah. Poor Raya.”

“Poor Raya? Is that all you gathered from what I said?” Maren sat up indignantly, “Poor me! She was no better! It was a rebound fling for her too. You know why she moved continents? She wanted to get away from some ex. Some girl I don’t think she ever got over.”

“And guess how I found out?” Maren asked rhetorically, before answering, “She called out Namaari’s name. In bed. With me. What the hell.”

Elsa snorted, clasping a hand over her mouth to hide her laugh.

“You’re mean,” Maren grumbled.

“Aww, Maren,” Elsa was still laughing a little, “I’m sorry. Come here.”

Maren grudgingly went into Elsa’s open arms. Elsa gave her a tight hug, running a hand down her back.

“I know it sucks that she’s here,” Elsa began, “But it shouldn’t stop us from enjoying our vacation. You wanted to go to that martial arts thing, right? So, we should go.”

“Yeah, but she’ll be there too. I don’t even know why. That girl _knows_ Silat. Like _know it_ know it. She probably signed up to make me look stupid.”

Elsa laughed, “Babe, she didn’t know you were going to be there.”

Elsa reached up to scratch the top of Maren’s head, “I can’t believe I’m saying this. But would you please come to the class? Do it for me? It’s my honeymoon too.”

Maren looked up at Elsa, skeptical, “You don’t even want to go.”

“Since when? I said I’m looking forward to everything you planned, right? I even changed already.”

Maren didn’t look convinced. Elsa sighed.

“I just hate to see you so glum. More than I hate hitting and kicking someone in a sweaty gym hall.”

Maren couldn’t resist, “You think you’ll be the one doing the hitting and kicking? Wherever you get that confidence, I want some of that too.”

Elsa laughed, very pleased with herself at how easily she made Maren feel better. She got up from the bed, tugging at Maren’s hand to get her to stand up.

“Now get up and get changed. And if Raya dares to be horrible to you at the class, I’ll silat-chop her ass.”

Maren finally brightened, grinning at Elsa’s antics, “Yeah right, sure you will. Unfounded, naïve, belief in one’s abilities is just what a budding martial artist needs.”

Elsa winked, “You know it.”

Maren allowed herself to be dragged out of bed by Elsa. She didn’t realise she was laughing and feeling all cheerful and teasing again until Elsa was flinging Maren’s socks and sports bra at her to change into.

* * *

“So let me get this straight,” Namaari was rubbing her temples as she closed her eyes, “When our parents insisted on discussing this retreat to mend things, I actually offered to go to Scandinavia to find you. But apparently, Benja said you returned to Kumandra to get away from Scandinavia. And now Scandinavia has come to find you?”

“You talk as though that one ex defined my entire Scandinavian experience. I dated her for three months, and I was there for six years.”

“You are the one acting like it! Raya, would you please grow a spine and get your butt down to the class? My mother is going to kill the both of us if you don’t show.”

“ _You_ grow a spine and tell her I’m not going!”

It surprised Namaari to realise that she was hurt to hear about Raya moving on from her, no less with some complete rando from a Scandivanian country called Northuldra, to which Namaari had never been to so what so good about the place and those people anyway, and what did Raya see in her and how could Raya…. _Gosh,_ whatever. Namaari forced down her spiralling thoughts, she knew she had _absolutely_ no right to complain, given how things ended between them.

“Raya! What’s the big deal? You were with this Honey person for three months. How can you not be over her already?”

_Please be over her._

“Over her? Ha! Please, I was never under her! Well, I was, in a way, _ahem_ ,” Raya flustered a little, “but you know what I mean. It was just a fling. Nothing deep.”

Namaari felt relieved to hear that, then hated herself for even caring, and then couldn’t stop thinking about the image of Raya being _under_ someone else. Physically. She winced.

“By the way,” Raya continued, “She’s Maren. Call her Honey and you’re in deep trouble. Nobody’s allowed to call her that. I learnt the hard way.”

“Wow, what a bitch. I’m gonna call her Honey in class later.”

“Namaari!”

“What? Come to class and stop me then.”

Raya threw her hands up in surrender, “You know what? Two of my exes beating each other up might not be a bad thing. Kinda want it to happen. Could be the only good thing coming out of this retreat.”

“Ha! You think she could take me?”

“Oh, Maren can fight. She was training to be a cop while we were dating. We used to train together on the weekends, sometimes she even beat me.”

“Wow. She beat you. I’m shitting my pants already,” Namaari rolled her eyes and headed towards the door, “Now, are you coming or what? Beat her up yourself, if you want that to happen so badly.”

“Nope, still gonna pass. Like I said, it’s just going to be breathing exercises today. And I was already right about the white tourists. Maren’s there. Well, she isn’t white but she’s bringing her white girlfriend. Well, wife. Ugh. Dammit!”

Raya groaned, as though realising for the first time, “She has a wife now.”

“Wait, are you jealous of her or something?” Namaari’s teasing smile turned slightly vindictive, “Oh Raya, that’s so pathetic.”

“Shut up.”

But this time, Raya did look visibly upset, so Namaari decided to go easy on her. She always had a soft spot for Raya.

“Fine,” Namaari sighed, “You can stay up here. I’ll think of something to tell my mum. Maybe you could help me out with a reason in the meantime and give yourself diarrhoea or something. That would make me happy too.”

“Charming. Don’t forget through, we’re sharing a bathroom.”

But Raya did give her a small, appreciative, smile. The first genuine one since arriving at the resort.

And suddenly, Namaari couldn’t quite return the gaze. There was something about seeing Raya express some semblance of real emotion that made Namaari wish she didn’t have to be all tough and snarky the rest of the time. She curled her hair behind her ear and cleared her throat, turning to head out of their suite.

“I guess I better get going,” Namaari announced, hating how high her voice was. She cleared her throat, easing defensively back into aiming jabs at Raya again, “I’ll tell _Honey_ you said ‘Hi’.”

“NAMAARI!”

But Namaari already slipped out of the room, a smirk back on her face.

* * *

There was only one local in the class; the rest of the attendees were tourists.

And Elsa and Maren couldn’t stop staring.

“Is that her? The undercut, is that Raya?” Elsa whispered.

“Nope. Huh. Wonder why Raya didn’t show. But this must be Namaari,” Maren whispered back, “And damn. She’s hot.”

“Sorry!” Maren quickly added, glancing nervously at Elsa.

“Don’t be. I have to agree.”

“Wait, you’re not jealous?”

“I’m too gay to be jealous. _Spirits_ , Raya left _her_ for you?”

“Hey! What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Elsa ignored Maren, continued to look Namaari up and down. Elsa was even biting her lower lip.

“Elsa!”

“I think you could take her. You two should fight.”

“Elsa,” Maren sighed, exasperated, “You do not understand the principles of martial arts at all. It’s good you’re here.”

“Words of a coward.”

Maren nudged Elsa in the ribs.

“Good afternoon, class,” their instructor interjected, striding calmly into the room, “Welcome to _Beginner’s Silat._ ”

“Aryan?” the local girl said.

“Namaari!” the instructor turned to her and beamed in recognition, “What are you doing here? Trying to make me look bad?”

Maren and Elsa gave each other a conspiratorial nod. They were right, she was Namaari. Elsa looked impressed, for some reason. Maren didn’t know what to make of that.

Aryan and Namaari exchanged a private conversation, laughing and hugging each other before breaking apart.

Aryan and Namaari bowed to each other before Aryan turned to the class, “Ladies and Gentleman. What a surprise. This is Namaari, my old friend. We used to train together as kids at the Kumandran National Silat Academy. She just so happens to be here at this resort on business.”

Namaari bowed to the class.

“She’s agreed to do a demonstration with me, before we start our class proper.”

Namaari and the instructor bowed once more before getting into position, circling each other. After a flurry of elegant and swift exchanges of blows and kicks, the two separated again, bowing once more. The entire display was beautiful, each move delivered with calm and deliberation, despite the fast pace. It wasn’t something that could be achieved with aggression or anger. It was quite a demonstration to witness.

The class gave a rousing round of applause after it.

“Okay, I don’t think you can take her,” Elsa admitted, clapping enthusiastically, eyes still fixed on Namaari.

Maren scoffed, insisting, “I could take her. Maybe at the end of class. When there’s like a one-on-one combat or something.”

But there was no one-on-one combat. The entire two hours was nothing but breathing exercises. Aryan had been insistent, saying that calming the restless soul was key to even beginning to master silat.

Elsa and Maren had to admit that it was pretty relaxing and effective. Not what they signed up for, but important lessons were learnt, nonetheless.

“So what do you say, can we come back tomorrow?” Maren asked Elsa at the end of it, feeling pumped to learn a new skill, “I think we’ll eventually make some progress.”

Elsa wasn’t all too keen, but to see Maren this excited, how could she say no?

“Of course,” Elsa smiled at Maren, using her towel to wipe away some sweat from Maren’s forehead, “I had fun with you.”

“Honey,” someone called from behind them.

Maren and Elsa turned to the voice, to see Namaari approaching them.

“What did you just call me?”

Maren’s tone had an edge, as she narrowed her eyes at Namaari. Nobody, but Elsa and her younger brother Olaf, was allowed to call her Honey. It brought back too many memories of being teased in school.

“You must be Honey,” Namaari insisted on repeating the first half of Maren’s name, stopping in front of them, folding her arms, “Gathered from Raya you were the one that would be with her.”

Namaari nodded at Elsa. Elsa and Maren genuinely didn’t know that Elsa would be this recognisable halfway across the world. Elsa gave a small, grudging wave, trying a smile to break the tension.

“Namaari,” Maren acknowledged, crossing her own arms too, as she smirked, “It’s good to finally put a face to the name. Heard a lot about you.”

That took Namaari by surprise. She looked like she didn’t expect Raya to have talked about her. Maren noticed this. That was strange, considering how the Raya Maren used to know _could not_ stop thinking about Namaari. It was always Namaari did this, Namaari would do that, Namaari could never… all of the three months they were together. It was exhausting. And Maren thought she was bad enough about John.

“What did Raya say about m-” Namaari couldn’t stop the words coming out in time. She cleared her throat, looking embarrassed, “Doesn’t matter. Anyway, congratulations on the wedding.”

“Thank you,” Maren and Elsa replied at the same time.

They waited for Namaari to get to the point of why she came to confront Maren.

“Raya,” Namaari began, “doesn’t let people get to her so easily. But you obviously got under her skin. She didn’t even want to come for this class because you’d be here.”

Maren didn’t know what to say to that. Why did Namaari even care?

“The only time people get under her skin is when they’ve hurt her,” Namaari continued, “Trust me. I know.”

Maren gulped, “Namaari, I-”

Namaari pulled out a slip of paper from her pocket and handed it to Maren.

“Dinner for two, tonight, at the Tail Riverside Restaurant, on me,” Namaari explained, “A wedding gift.”

“Tail Riverside Restaurant?!” Maren gasped, reading the details on the paper, “How did you secure reservations? I was on the queue for _months_ and still no luck.”

“The chef’s a family friend.”

“Wait,” Elsa replied, her tone cold and suspicious, despite the gift, “You’re giving Maren this as a ‘Thank you’ for hurting Raya? We can’t accept.”

Maren’s eyes widened in shock, realising Elsa’s point. She scoffed at Namaari in disgust.

Shoving the reservation slip back, she said, “My wife’s right. No, thank you.”

Namaari didn’t take the piece of paper back, but she didn’t look offended by the accusations too.

“I’m not thanking you for hurting Raya,” Namaari replied calmly, unaffected by the animosity towards her, “I’m asking you not to do it again.”

Namaari started to turn away to pick up her gym bag, “Look, you’re here for a week. We’re here for a week too. So please leave Raya alone. I don’t know why she’s so affected by your presence here, but whatever happened between you two five years ago, Raya doesn’t deserve to have all these unpleasant memories dragged up again.”

With that, Namaari started walking away, “Enjoy your honeymoon. Tell the waiter you’re my guests. You’ll get an off-the-menu chef’s special.”

Maren and Elsa watched her go.

“Huh,” Maren observed, “Looks like Raya’s not the only Kumandran who’s not over her ex. That was kinda sweet of Namaari, don’t you think?”

“That tank top is doing wonders for her back,” Elsa made a separate observation, obviously distracted.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking, Elsa?” Maren asked, leaning to rest an elbow on Elsa’s shoulder as they continued to watch Namaari walk away.

“… Maybe...”

“I kinda ship Raya with her,” Maren confessed, while Elsa blurted out at exactly the same time, “I won’t say no to a threesome.”

“Wait, what?” Maren’s head snapped to Elsa’s.

“What?” Elsa’s head snapped back to Maren’s, realising what she accidentally thought out loud.

Maren just stared.

After a while, Maren asked again, “What did you say?”

Elsa was beetroot red by now, “Spirits.”

Maren started cackling, seizing the rare opportunity to take the mickey out of Elsa for this. Elsa had always been very shy about her sexuality, having battled with her internalized homophobia for decades growing up, and it wasn’t often that she would express her attraction to women, even to the people closest to her who would never judge, like Maren. So Maren was living for seeing Elsa more free with her emotions.

“Obviously it was a joke,” Elsa muttered unconvincingly.

“Unless…?” Maren teased, pretending to think about it.

Elsa fell for it, perking up with curiosity at what Maren seemed to be saying next, “Yeah?”

“Unless nothing! Ha! You are _so_ crushing hard on Namaari right now!”

Elsa looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her up.

“Elsamaari... you know what? Kinda cute. I would be your wingwoman if I wasn’t so in love with you.”

Elsa shoved Maren in the shoulder.

“Maren, you’re insufferable. Let it go!”

“Never.”

But Maren’s laugh was so infectious Elsa couldn’t stop her own embarrassed laugh from coming out as well.

Changing the subject fast, Elsa dragged Maren out of the gym, back towards the Honeymoon Suite, “Now come on, you said you would make attending this class worth my while. You gotta prove that I married a woman of her word.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the threesome comment is obviously a joke from Elsa's very horny and very weird mind. talk about a mood. 
> 
> Thanks everyone for reading! This has been very fun to write and I cant wait to continue. A very big shoutout!! to @T2Boy2, @Andreu and @Domika83 for their endless prompts and encouragements and giving me ideas for this fic <3
> 
> Cheers,  
> Blackthorn


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